1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an elevator group supervisory system including a plurality of respective unit control apparatus for controlling each group of elevators, and a group supervisory control apparatus for controlling an elevator group, and particularly to the control of input/output information in a plurality of respective unit control apparatus and a group supervisory control apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 4 is a view schematically illustrating the configuration of a conventional elevator group supervisory system disclosed, for example, in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 04-055272.
In FIG. 4, reference numeral 2 denotes a group supervisory control apparatus for supervisory to control of a plurality of elevators, reference numeral 3 collectively referring to 3a and 3b, denotes respective unit control apparatus, reference numeral 4 denotes hall devices such as call buttons installed in a hall, reference numeral 10 denotes star configured communication lines connecting the group supervisory control apparatus 2 and the plurality of respective unit control apparatus 3 respectively, reference numeral 11 denotes a switching apparatus for switching a destination of connection of a second transmission line 14 based on a switching signal from the group supervisory control apparatus 2, reference numeral 12 denotes a switching signal transmitted to the switching apparatus 11 from the group supervisory control apparatus 2, reference numeral 13 denotes a first transmission line connecting the switching apparatus 11 and the respective unit control apparatus 3, reference numeral 14 denotes a second transmission line connecting the switching apparatus 11 and the hall devices 4, and reference numeral 15 denotes a third transmission line connecting the switching apparatus 11 and the group supervisory control apparatus 2.
Operation will now be described.
Operation of a case in which a conventional elevator group supervisory system is operating normally, will first be described.
The group supervisory control apparatus 2 turns off the switching signal 12 if the respective units control apparatus 3a is operating normally. If the switching signal 12 is off, the switching apparatus 11 connects the first transmission line 13 and the second transmission line 14. Information transmitted by hall devices from the hall devices 4, such as call buttons and outputted from the hall device 4a is transmitted to the respective unit control apparatus 3a via the second transmission line 14, the switching apparatus 11 and the first transmission line 13. The respective unit control apparatus 3a having received the information transmitted by hall devices transmits the information to the group supervisory control apparatus 2 via the star configured communication lines 10.
The group supervisory control apparatus 2 having received the information transmitted by hall devices transmits a respective unit control instruction to an arbitrary one of respective unit control apparatuses 3 via the star configured communication lines 10. The respective unit control apparatus 3a controls in response to the received respective units control instruction. The group supervisory control apparatus 2 transmits information received by hall devices (control information to the hall devices 4) to be received by the hall devices 4 such as button lights to the respective unit control apparatus 3a via the star configured communication lines 10, and the respective unit control apparatus 3a transmits the received information received by hall devices to the hall device 4a via the first transmission line 13, the switching apparatus 11 and the second transmission line 14.
Operation of a case in which the group supervisory control apparatus 2 stops, will now be described.
If the group supervisory control apparatus 2 is stopped, the switching signal 12 is not outputted and is turned off. If the switching signal 12 is off, the switching apparatus 11 connects the first transmission line 13 and the second transmission line 14.
Therefore, the information transmitted by hall devices outputted from the hall device 4a is transmitted to the respective unit control apparatus 3a via the second transmission line 14, the switching apparatus 11 and the first transmission line 13 in the same manner as in the normal time. The respective unit control apparatus 3a controls the respective unit in response to the information transmitted by hall devices because the respective unit control instruction is not sent to the respective unit control apparatus 3a from the group supervisory control apparatus 2. At the same time, the respective unit control apparatus 3a transmits the information received by hall devices such as button lights to the hall device 4a via the first transmission line 13, the switching apparatus 11 and the second transmission line 14.
Operation of a case in which an arbitrary respective unit control apparatus 3a stops, will now be described.
If the respective unit control apparatus 3a is stopped, the group supervisory control apparatus 2 turns on the switching signal 12. If the switching signal is on, the switching apparatus 11 connects the third transmission line 15 and the second transmission line 14. The information transmitted by hall devices such as a call button outputted from the hall device 4a is transmitted to the group supervisory control device 2 via the second transmission line 14, the switching apparatus 11 and the third transmission line 15. The group supervisory control apparatus 2 having received the information transmitted by hall devices transmits a respective unit control instruction to an arbitrary respective unit control apparatus 3b other than the respective unit control apparatus 3a that is stopped via the star configured communication lines 10. The respective unit control apparatus 3b controls in response to the received respective unit control instruction. At the same time, the group supervisory control apparatus 2 transmits the information received by hall devices such as button lights to the hall device 4a via the third transmission line 15, the switching apparatus 11 and the second transmission line 14.
Since the conventional elevator group supervisory system is configured as described above, if the group supervisory control apparatus 2 that controls the elevator group stops, only the respective unit control apparatus 3a can respond to the hall devices 4, and the service quality of the entire elevator group supervisory system decreases.
In addition, since there is provided the switching apparatus 11 for switching the destination of connection with respect to the hall devices 4 from the respective unit control apparatus 3a to the group supervisory control apparatus 2, so that the group supervisory control apparatus 2 can respond to the hall devices 4 even if the respective unit control apparatus 3a stops, increase of costs arises. This is not limited to the hall devices 4, but similar problems are observed in the connection with extension devices and external devices outside the elevator group supervisory system.
Moreover, the connection of a transmission line in place of the star configured communication lines 10 is required in order to cope with increasing volume of communication between the group supervisory control apparatus 2 and the respective unit of control apparatus 3 due to advanced functionality of the elevator group supervisory system and in order to realize reduction of costs.
The present invention has been devised in view of the above and other drawbacks, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an elevator group supervisory system with which a group supervisory control apparatus and all respective unit control apparatuses can share input/output information exchanged with hall devices (or extension devices and external devices), and thereby a plurality of respective unit control apparatuses can respond to the hall devices (or extension devices or external devices) even if a group supervisory control device stops, and which can minimize the decrease of the service quality of the entire system.
An elevator group supervisory system of the present invention comprises a group supervisory control apparatus for supervising to control a plurality of elevators, a plurality of respective unit control apparatuses for controlling each number machine of elevators respectively, and a hub with a built-in input/output apparatus section for transmitting and receiving information with hall devices to connect the group supervisory control apparatus and the plurality of respective unit control apparatuses by a bus type communication line, wherein the information exchanged between the hall devices are shared by the group supervisory control apparatus and the plurality of respective unit control apparatuses.
In addition, the input/output apparatus section is provided with controlling means for transmitting the information received from the hall devices to the group supervisory control apparatus if the group supervisory control apparatus is normal, and for transmitting the information received from the hall devices to the plurality of respective unit control apparatuses if the group supervisory control apparatus is abnormal.
Moreover, the hall devices are connected to the input/output apparatus section via serial communication lines and, at the same time, the extension devices and the external devices of the hall are connected to the input/output apparatus section via communication lines, the information of the extension devices and the external devices are also shared by the group supervisory control apparatus and the plurality of respective unit control apparatuses.